1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control panel assembly, and more particularly, to a button for a control panel assembly having an optical diffusion unit of a lattice structure for forwardly diffusing light occurring from a light source, and a clothes handling apparatus having the same.
2. Description of the Background Art
Generally, a clothes handling apparatus includes a washing machine, a clothes drier, a refresher, etc.
Among the various clothes handling apparatuses, a drum type washing machine will be explained.
The drum type washing machine serves to perform a washing process by using a frictional force between laundry and a drum that rotates by receiving a driving force of a motor, under a state that detergent, washing water and laundry are input into the drum. Demands for the drum type washing machine are increased since laundry is scarcely damaged, laundry is not entangles to each other, and effects such as biting and rubbing are obtainable.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a general drum type washing machine, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of buttons of a control panel of FIG. 1.
The drum type washing machine comprises a cabinet 10 that forms the appearance thereof, a tub (not shown) installed in the cabinet 10, and a drum 30 rotated in the tub and having laundry inputted thereinto.
A front cover 16 is mounted to a front surface of the cabinet 10, and a door 14 for opening and closing the drum 30 is mounted to an approximate middle portion of the front cover 16. At an upper part of the front cover 16, attached is a control panel 60 mounted with a manipulating portion for inputting washing conditions, a display portion 58 for displaying the current operation status of the drum type washing machine, etc. Each kind of a control substrate 56 and a control frame 55 is mounted in the control panel 60.
The manipulating portion for inputting washing conditions is implemented as a button 70, or a dial knob 54 rotated by a user's hand.
Referring to FIG. 2, the control panel 60 includes a display portion mounting hole 61 for mounting the display portion 58, and a button mounting hole 62 for mounting the button 70.
The button 70 includes a pressing portion 72 directly pressed by a user, and an elastic portion 73 for restoring the pressed pressing portion 72 to the original position. The button 70 is fixed by a fixing hook 63 formed in the control panel 60.
Recently, a button illuminated when pressed to inform a user of the pressed state is spotlighted.
However, when light occurring from a light source such as a light emitting diode (LED) disposed at a back of the button 70 passes through a flat surface of the button 70, the amount of light is reduced to cause a user not to precisely detect the pressed state of the button 70. As a result, the control panel 60 has a degraded appearance.
Furthermore, when the button 70 is fixed to the fixing hook 63 of the control panel 60 with a non-uniform force, the button 70 is not properly mounted. Besides, while the button is mounted to the fixing hook 63 and the drum type washing machine is used, the fixing hook 63 may be damaged to cause the button 70 to be detached from the original position.
Furthermore, the button does not match a drum type washing machine having a cabinet formed of stainless steel and providing a sophisticated image.